Government urged to change law over football policing costs

Ministers have beed urged to change the law so that police forces, including the Metropolitan Police, can recoup the true cost of policing football matches, including escorting fans to and from public transport hubs and out of town centres.

Last year the Met spent more than £5m on policing matches but a 2012 High Court ruling limits the clubs’ liability to the cost of deploying officers inside the stadiums and on their land, meaning the force is only able to recover a fraction of that sum.

London Assembly member Andrew Dismore, who says the cash could fund an additional 93 officers on London’s streets, has called on Home Secretary Amber Rudd to change the law so that the full costs can be recouped.

Mr Dismore said: “It is outrageous that clubs who can afford to pay their players thousands upon thousands of pounds a week expect the tax payer to pick up the bill for anything that happens outside their ground.

“This is placing a big strain on Met resources and it’s time for clubs to dig deep. They are depriving London of nearly 100 extra officers a year, and it’s quite clear the law needs to change.

“The Home Secretary Amber Rudd should urgently intervene to ensure that Londoners are not left footing the eye watering bill for these super rich clubs.”

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